Student Logistics
  • Sign up procedures - how and when? For a quarter at a time, semester at a time, year at a time?
  • Variety of categories
Task Force agreed on the following categories, but these need further discussion: Service learning, Sports (Healthy Lifestyle), Visual/Performing Arts, Special Interest, Digital Literacy, Leadership, Cultural Exploration (November 26th, 2009)
  • Is there forced diversity of courses?
    • Completing the "wheel" can be a celebratory (read: not mandatory) thing
    • If student takes so many courses in each category, they get a t-shirt and recognition
  • Is retaking a class okay? (i.e. basketball over and over)
  • Some students need to take certain exps; ESOL Academic Support
  • Agreed that ESOL and AS kids should only miss maximum of 2 exploratory classes per year. (November 26th, 2009)
  • Can teachers recommend non-AS and non-ESOL students for specific academic exploratories?
  • Extenuating circumstances (November 26th, 2009)
  • Student feedback protocol
    • Celebrate what happens in each exploratory in the hall somewhere so students and advisors can see what goes on in each exploratory
    • "Buffer week" can be spent evaluating what students have learned, expressing the EAGLES they've emulated, creating media to share what goes on in each exploratory
  • The issue of grade specific or mixed grade exploratories should be handled in Course Descriptions written by teachers.


Teacher Logistics
  • Three out of four
    • Can we establish a calendar at the beginning of the year where teachers know ahead of time when they will and will not be teaching? Then we could base class sizes on how many teachers we have available with larger classes making up for smaller ones.
    • Here is a draft schedule to demonstrate what it might look like to have teachers teaching 3 out of 4 Exploratories.
  • Equity issues: who does not need to offer an Exp because they are doing something else
    • Team leaders
    • Department Chairs
    • Music teachers during busy performance times
    • Four out of four--Maybe if they don't have a homebase
  • How do we solicit courses from teachers?
    • How do we ensure quality of course offerings?
    • How do we educate teachers about quality of course offerings?
  • How do we collect/share information between teacher-admin efficiently?


Program Logistics
  • Facilities coordination
    • What facilities do we have available on a regular basis
  • Balance of offerings
    • Some sort of exploratory wheel?
    Task force liked the idea of having an exploratory wheel with 7-8 categories (November 26th, 2009)
    • Celebrate what happens in each exploratory in the hall somewhere so students and advisors can see what goes on in each exploratory
    • "Buffer week" can be spent evaluating what students have learned, expressing the EAGLES they've emulated, creating media to share what goes on in each exploratory
  • Assessment/review/reflection with EAGLES
  • The task force would like to table this for a later meeting (November 26th, 2009)
  • **Should we assess in the same way as Pudong?
    • See above
    • EAGLES badges idea - kids earn a letter badge (an "E" for this course, a "G" for another) and try to complete their EAGLES during their three years
    • They can apply for special recognition before graduation
    • Rough estimate of courses offered thus far:
      • 16 Empowered, 6 Adaptable, 10 Globally Minded, 14 Literate, 3 Ethical, 11 Skilled Inquirer
**


  • Implications to ASA, some people wanting to extend the time they spend with the kids.
    • If we did this, how would it impact the days that we offered Exploratory and/or ASA?
  • Stay with Tuesday and Thursday or move to Monday Wednesday to accommodate CISSA?
    • How often have students/teachers missed exploratory in Q1? Should Lou be tracking this data?
    • How do we deal with sub coverage for coaches who do leave early?
      • Theory was that teachers not teaching an exploratory that quarter would be available for coverage.
      • How do we communicate who is available for substitute to teachers needing coverage?
  • How do we register kids? What is the most efficient way? (also in student logistics section)
  • Process of putting together and publishing a comprehensive, dynamic course catalog
  • How will collected data be used to guide future logistical decisions?
  • Exploratory Coordinator?
  • Cornerstone offerings that are permanent?
  • Budgeting/Purchase Orders
  • Dates for catalogue updates, registration, class rosters

Not Sure Where It Fits Logistics**
  • Possibility of bringing in local experts, like Chi Life
  • Can parents offer an exploratory of they are willing to commit to the whole quarter? (i.e. language courses, arts and crafts, special interest, etc.)
  • How might a switch to trimesters effect the program?
    • Qtrs: 14-14-17-16/17 (eRBs?) - Agreed that quarters is the way to go
    • Tri: 22-22-17/18 (eRBs?)


Theron's Revision of the Above List -